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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498783">Naked Around You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdog23/pseuds/wolfdog23'>wolfdog23</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha Owen Grady, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bossy Blue, Eggs, Everybody Lives, Except Wu, F/F, Henry Wu being a Creepy Creep, Henry Wu is a Twisted Fucker, Intersex Character, M/M, Minor Character Death, Movie Reference, Mpreg, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Owen is Secretly a Gentleman, Owen is a Raptor, Owen speaks Raptor, Raptor daddy Owen, Sorta Underage, Special Echo, Technically underage, Underage Drinking, Underage Flirting, Underage Kissing, Vic Hoskins Being a Major Creep, Zach is 17/18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:07:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdog23/pseuds/wolfdog23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn’t something Zach was crazy about -being intersex or whatever he was- but he also wasn’t about to risk getting off his birth-control just to spite his own body. Especially since this vacation might give him an opportunity to get rid of his so-called ‘V-Card’ with a ‘no-strings-attached’ hook up, and he really didn’t want to find out if he could actually get pregnant or anything like that. He sure as Hell wasn’t ready for THAT kind of thing, but he was looking forward to being able to not have to hide his sexuality constantly.  </p><p>And then his aunt's girlfriend/assistant texted him a picture of the man that was going to be their guide for the week.  Hot, didn’t even do the guy any justice, because the man in the picture -probably an employee- badge picture- was beyond any measure of ‘hot’ that Zach had. He was older -probably in his 30s or something- with short blondish-brown hair and tanned skin, and the most beautiful hazel- green eyes Zach had ever seen. He was way hotter than the Hot Guy™️ he’d hooked up with at the track meet a few weeks ago. Honestly, if Zach had to compare them, he’d call this guy a God to Hot Guy™️’s mortal status</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Claire Dearing/Zara Young, Gray Mitchell &amp; Zach Mitchell, Gray Mitchell &amp; Zach Mitchell &amp; Raptor Squad, Owen Grady &amp; Raptor Squad, Owen Grady/Zach Mitchell, Zach Mitchell &amp; Raptor Squad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>275</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Zach, Pt 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/5144384">Raptor</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasyn/pseuds/Chasyn">Chasyn</a>.
        </li>
        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/14271096">Metamorphosis</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Momma/pseuds/Momma">Momma</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelessIceGoddess/pseuds/NamelessIceGoddess">NamelessIceGoddess</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <b>IF YOU HAVE PAID TO READ THIS, IT HAS BEEN STOLEN! I HAVE NOT GIVEN ANY CONSENT FOR ANY OTHER SITE OR APP TO USE MY WORKS!!!</b>
</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The house had been quiet, for the most part, for the last few days. Scott was out of town for ‘business’ -even though Zach was pretty sure he was having an affair; the man wasn’t exactly <i>subtle</i>- and Gray had been using their Dad’s week-long ‘business’ trip to spend as much time as he could at the library after school. Zach wasn’t sure <i>why</i>, since he’s sure Gray’s read everything he could there, but he’d stopped questioning Gray’s love of the library a few years ago. After all, Zach had his <i>own</i> way of taking advantage of Scott’s absence; the fact that it just happened to be <i>this</i> week was, though, a fucking blessing.</p><p>He sighed as he relaxed in the hot bath, head lolled to the side as he ignored the way his ‘girlfriend’ was blowing up his phone, which was sitting on the toilet. Rolling his eyes, he lolled his neck the other way so that he was staring at the tiled wall of the large bath instead, hissing as a particularly sharp pain punched him in the gut. Hands massaging at the cramps in his lower belly, Zach looked over at the door when he heard a loud exclamation from his Mom’s room -a few doors down.</p><p>Her room; not her and <i>Scott’s</i> room.</p><p>It wasn’t exactly a <i>secret</i> that she and Scott were sleeping in separate rooms; Zach still wasn’t sure how Gray hadn’t figured it out.</p><p>(<i>Or, maybe the kid had, and was still processing it? Zach didn’t know, but he also wasn’t about to lie to his brother if the kid asked. Anyways-</i>)</p><p>“Claire! Why the hell is this form asking for a picture of my sons?” Karen asked, sounding a bit concerned, mostly tired, and more than a little rather indignant -though Zach wasn’t sure <i>why</i>, at least about this.</p><p>“It’s in case something happens -like they get lost or something- and we need to look for them.” Claire told her, sounding tired through the computer screen. “The scan-bands have trackers in them, but we also want to be ‘safe’ rather than ‘sorry’ in case something <i>DOES</i> happen.” She explained, suggesting that something <i>exactly like that</i> had happened before. Likely more than once.</p><p>Zach just snorted at that, rolling onto his side in the still hot-as-he-can-stand water, paying a bit more attention to what his Mom and Aunt were Skyping about.</p><p>“And the clothing sizes?”</p><p>“Well, the welcome kits at the Hotel have a randomized shirt in them, plus there’s always a random raffle for the guests at the gift shop once a week, and it’s easiest to just look on the <i>secured</i> files than try and hunt down the guest just to ask for their shirt size.” Claire told her, rather blandly, especially since everything she was explaining was likely on the forms already. “We just want to have everything covered; and the forms had been updated recently, since we’ve had a few complaints in the last year about some of the stupidest things.” She sighed and Zach could imagine the woman was rolling her eyes right now, a small grin crossing his lips at that.</p><p>He’d looked at the forms, the other day, when Gray had asked if he knew ‘what Mom was keeping so quiet about’, and he had to agree that the amount of stuff that needed filling out seemed a bit ridiculous. But it was all pretty self-explanatory, too.</p><p>He hadn’t told his little brother about their near-future trip to Jurassic World -the kid would become obsessive about it, and likely annoy him to death (<i>and Zach would like the few weeks before they had to start packing to be relatively quiet, thank you very much</i>)- but he’d also told Gray that it was ‘<i>just some dumb vacation</i>’ and that ‘<i>he’d probably like it more than I will</i>’. Not that Zach was <i>against</i> going to the dinosaur island, but he wasn’t as crazy-excited about it as he knew Gray was going to be. Hence his radio-silence on the subject, and making sure Gray was distracted whenever it was just the two of them at home.</p><p>At least Gray hadn’t brought up the divorce yet. If only because that wasn’t something Zach actually <i>wanted</i> to talk about while they were still home. Though he would if Gray <i>did</i> ask.</p><p>Anyways, he could hear his Mom talking still -mostly about what would be in the room (<i>suite, since he knew Aunt Claire would probably try and put them in the best room she could; likely to make up for the fact that she can’t visit them as regularly as</i> Karen <i>would like</i>), if the mini-bar was going to be taken out (<i>or at least ‘locked, the boys are way too young to even have one in their room, Claire!</i>'), making sure that Gray’s tree-nut allergy wasn’t going to be triggered ('<i>he always carried an EpiPen with him, but make sure he doesn’t</i> NEED <i>it, Claire!</i>’), and whatever other concern she might have about the forms and sending her sons to an island full of strangers and dinosaur for the two weeks she and Scott were going to be hashing out the worse part of their divorce; who gets what.</p><p>A ‘ping’ -letting Zach know there was a new voice message- distracted him from his eavesdropping, and had him groaning as he rolled to his other side again; back to the rest of the bathroom as he closed his eyes and shifted so he could rub at his lower back, a cramp settling there as he continued to ignore his girlfriend -whom he wasn’t even attracted to, and was just using as a ‘beard’ to hide the fact that he was ‘about as gay as one could get’ from Scott. He knew it was a dick move to use someone like that, but at least he wasn’t playing with her emotions and telling her he loved her or something like that.</p><p>Unfortunately, he’d made a bit of a mistake in choosing to date HER, seeing as she was one of ‘<i>those</i>’ chicks. And super handsy. And borderline obsessed with him, given the fact that she tried to attach herself to his hips every little chance she got. And if he wasn’t so scared that Scott would take his ‘lack of interest in girls’ as an obvious sign that he was gay, Zach would have broken up with her after she’d forced him to touch her tits.</p><p>He shuddered at the memory -because it still made him feel <i>wrong</i>- and instead started thinking about <i>what</i> he’d need to bring for the two weeks they were going to be on the dinosaur island. Given that it was a little over a month away, and given how regular he’d been lately, Zach knew he’d have to make sure a box of tampons was hidden in his luggage (<i>or</i>, <i>at least have Aunt Claire or Zara put them in his room of the suite</i>, <i>which was probably the safer bet for him</i>), and he’d have to get his birth-control refilled before they go.</p><p>It wasn’t something Zach was crazy about -being intersex or whatever he was- but he also wasn’t about to risk getting off his birth-control just to spite his own body. Especially since this vacation <i>might</i> give him an opportunity to get rid of his so-called ‘V-Card’ with a ‘no-strings-attached’ hook up, and he <i>really</i> didn’t want to find out if he could actually get pregnant or anything like that. He sure as Hell wasn’t ready for <i>THAT</i> kind of thing, but he <i>was</i> looking forward to being able to not have to hide his sexuality constantly.</p><p>‘<i>Mental note; pack lube and plenty of condoms -maybe,</i>’ Zach thought to himself, a small grin on his face as he moved a hand lower to tease at his <i>hole<i> for a second -the flesh a bit tender from using tampons for the last few days. He pulled his hand away just as quickly, biting his bottom lip at the guilty pleasure that that little tease enticed in him. Getting out of the cooling bath,  Zach dried off quickly before putting in a tampon, pulling on his fluffiest pajama pants (<i>that Aunt Claire had sent him for Christmas last year</i>, <i>and had raptors all over them</i> -<i>it had a matching tank-top somewhere</i>), and collapsing in his bed. His phone was still in silent mode -though it was flashing insistently with messages from ‘Crazy Bitch’.</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i></i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i></i>
  </i>
</p><p>Whom was supposed to be in class, so Zach was actually mildly impressed that her phone hadn’t been taken away yet, but he continued to ignore it as he popped a few Tylenol and curled tiredly, his lower half starting to ache again from how rough his period was being on him. Plus, he’d likely need the energy for when Gray got home; because, even without know <i>where</i> they were going, the preteen was a bundle of energy and excitement for just <i>going</i> somewhere.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Zach, Pt 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Zach! You’re up in 20!”</p>
<p>He heard his coach yell, making said teen look up from lacing his trainers, whisky-hazel eyes hooded and bored as he nodded, rolling his shoulders as he sat back up and looked around the indoor track lazily. It was the last big Meet before the holidays, and the last Meet before Zach and Gray went to Jurassic World in two weeks. While his friends -mainly Seth and Carly- were teasing him about babysitting his little brother on ‘Dino-Island’, his girlfriend -Gina- was being whinier and clingier than usual.</p>
<p>She was also being <i>handsier</i> than usual, too, and just thinking about how many times she’d tried to shove her hand down his pants (<i>thank god for skinny jeans and belts</i>) had Zach shuddering and nauseous…</p>
<p>He really was just too gay to handle even acting like he liked her. Zach knew his best bet was to break up with her <i>before</i> leave, so he wouldn’t have to deal with her when he was back, but he hadn’t even had the chance to <i>try</i> and bring it up. And any time he <i>tried</i>, she would start whining and petting him and -</p>
<p>He shuddered again and shook his head, shaking her from his mind for the time being. Instead, he looked over at the other team -and instantly noticed one of the guys blatantly checking him out. He was pretty hot, too. Tall -taller than Zach, that was for sure- and fairly broad too. Blonde and tan, with bright blue eyes -even from a distance…</p>
<p>Flushing slightly, Zach bit his lips nervously as he looked away and glanced up through his thick lashes at the guy again -a small, shy grin crossing his full lips. The other guy puffed up a bit and -very purposely- stretched his long arms above his head, flexing his thick, muscular arms as he shot a grin and a wink in Zach’s direction. Blush brightening, said teen looking away again, biting his bottom lip to try and fight a please grin.</p>
<p>Ascetically, Zach new he was attractive -pretty, even, since Carly always complained about how “<i>effortlessly pretty</i>” he was- but it wasn’t often that another <i>guy</i> seemed to think so too.</p>
<p>Then again, Scott was usually around, and guys didn’t <i>want</i> him to cause <i>another</i> scene -not after the Restaurant Incident™ last year- so they tended to just avoid looking in Zach’s direction, if they could help it. It was just another reason by he hated Scott -he hadn’t even called the man ‘dad’ in years. He really didn’t have a reason or desire to, either. The man had lost all of Zach’s respect a long time ago; not that he had had a lot of respect for the man to begin with, really.</p>
<p><em>Thankfully</em>, though, Scott didn’t think Track &amp; Field was a ‘<i>real sport</i>’, and pretty much refused to come to any Meets, so the only person Zach had to really be on the lookout for was Gina. Well, and maybe a few of Scott’s equally homophobic friends, but those guys didn’t tend to come to Meets either. So, Zach was just on the lookout for the Crazy Bitch, because he <i>knew</i> she would be around somewhere.</p>
<p>After a quick check, though, -and a quick check of the clock to see that he still had about 15 minutes before his run- he looked back towards the hot guy and quickly glanced at the restrooms before looking back at the guy with a raised eyebrow. The guy’s grin instantly widened, and he muttered something to his friend -a rather attractive black guy with a short fade, who just glanced in Zach’s direction and snorted before nodding- before he got up and moseyed over to the men’s room. After a few minutes, mostly to make sure no one was paying him any attention, Zach got up and followed, biting his lip when he saw the hot guy was leaning against the open handicap stall, arms crossed over his broad chest and a smooth grin on his face.</p>
<p>“Well, hello there, Pretty Boy,” Hot Dude purred, stepping backwards into the large stall with a ‘come-hither’ curl of his finger.</p>
<p>“Hello yourself, Hot Dude,” Zach drawled, glancing around quickly -though the restroom was empty- before following, a demure grin on his plush lips as the Hot Dude’s large hands grabbed his hips and squeezed lightly. Flushing a bit at the sensation -and the hungry look in the Hot Dude’s eyes at the handfuls his hips were- Zach fought back the urge to purr or something as he trailed his pianist fingers up the taller man’s chiseled sides and over broad shoulders.</p>
<p>Hot Dude chuckled lowly as he cupped his ass, obviously liking how it filled his hands as Zach threaded his fingers round the golden curls at the back of his neck -his back pressed up against the closed stall door. “Tyler,” The Hot Dude drawled back, leaning down to start teasing his lips against Zach’s neck, savoring the light sigh it elicited. “what about you, Pretty Boy? You gotta name, or do you like it when I call you Pretty?”</p>
<p>Zach moaned slightly -his neck being a highly sensitive area- and just hummed lazily. “Whatever you want, Tyler,” He purred, lifting a leg up to hook around <i>Tyler’s</i> slender hips. “just wanna have fun, anyways,”</p>
<p>“Sounds good to me,” Tyler muttered, mouthing at Zach’s neck lightly -not aiming to leave a mark, but enough to draw more sweet sounds out of the slightly shorter teen. “how far?” He asked, trailing his fingers over the surprisingly-wide-for-a-guy’s hips and up the subtle flare of Zach’s waist.</p>
<p>“This is working for me,” Zach admitted, a flush across his cheeks and down his neck; his heart racing from just this little bit of teasing and groping. He rarely got to experiment with other guys, and he just couldn’t bring himself to <i>bother trying</i> anything with Gina, so he really didn’t have a lot of experience with this kind of thing.</p>
<p>Tyler chuckled lowly at that and returned to pressing open-mouthed kisses all over Zach’s exposed neck and shoulders, being mindful to not leave any marks as the Pretty Boy pulled on his hair lightly -Zach’s other leg coming up so that all of his weight was between the door and the taller man lavishing his neck with attention. A high moan left Zach’s lips when Tyler started sucking on the junction between his neck and shoulder, his legs tightening as he rolled his hips sharply. Eyes fluttering at the feeling, Zach moaned again as he pulled Tyler away from his neck and brought their lips together hungrily. The hands on his hips tightened their hold as one of his own moved to claw at the broad back under his fingertips -teeth and tongue clashing for a moment before a voice distracted them.</p>
<p>“Ty! Five minutes!” They heard, bringing them back up for air as Tyler rested his brow on Zach’s shoulder -the shorter panting and biting his lips to fight down his frustration. “Dude, you hear me?”</p>
<p>“Ye-yeah, Tev!” Tyler called, sounding a touch frustrated himself. “Sorry, Pretty Boy, but it looks like we’re done here.” He explained, waiting until Zach nodded -eyes dropped to the ground- before pulling him away from the door. Zach sighed as he unhooked his ankles and slid down Tyler’s body -ignoring the way the man bit his lips, as he started straightening himself out.</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Zach told him, after another moment of catching his breath, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed, watching as Tyler straightened himself out as well. “it’s just a bit of fun, after all…”</p>
<p>Tyler nodded mutely, running a hand back through his slightly curly hair and adjusting himself before looking at Zach again. “Well, it was definitely that,” He drawled, smirking when Zach smiled shyly at him. “I wouldn’t be opposed to doing it again… without a time restraint, of course,” He explained, watching as Zach dropped his gaze again. “… or not, if you know-”</p>
<p>“It’s safer if this is a one-time thing,” Zach explained quickly, raising an eyebrow up at Tyler before pushing off the wall and passing him. “thanks, though.” He added, smiling sadly at the handsome blonde before nodding to ‘Tev’ and heading out of the restroom.</p>
<p>Grunting as he was instantly tackled by a squealing blonde with crazed dark-brown eyes. “THERE YOU ARE, BABY!” Gina screeched, thin arms like a vice around Zach’s waist as she plastered herself against his side. “I was wondering where you’d gotten to~” She purred -or, well, did what she probably thought was a <i>purr</i>, but just sounded <i>wrong</i>. </p>
<p>“Bathroom, obviously.” Zach drawled, eyes half-hooded with mock-laziness as he forced himself to put an arm around her shoulders and fought down a sneer. “Look, I have to get ready to run, alright?” He told her, pushing her away as roughly as he could get away with, only for her to attach herself to him again. “Gina-”</p>
<p>“Come <em>ooonnn</em>, gimmie a kiss first.” She whined, pursing her lips -painted a glossy, cotton-candy-scented pink- and leaning towards him eagerly.</p>
<p>Rolling his eyes, Zach gave her a quick peck -on the corner of her lips, at that- before pushing her away from him again, a bit more roughly that he probably should have, but he only had so much patience -especially since kissing her (<i>or any girl</i>) just felt gross. “Look, I have to run now -literally- so go back to the stands or wherever you were sitting before, alright?” He told her, tone flat as Tyler and Tev walked past them -looking more amused than was fair.</p>
<p>“Dun wanna~” Gina whined, pouting and stomping her foot, arms crossed over her bust as she glared at him.</p>
<p>Zach just rolled his eyes at her. “Stop being a brat and go to the stands,” He snapped, jogging over to where the coach was waving for him.</p>
<p>“Girls, right kid?” The coach teased, just chuckling when Zach rolled his eyes and started stretching. “Five minutes, got it?” He added, looking down at his tablet again. </p>
<p>“Yeah,  sure,” Zach drawled flatly, inwardly sighing as glanced over at where Gina was waving -way too energetically- while Carly tried to get her to sit down and shut up, Seth with face-in-hands-embarrassed by the immature chick that was Zach’s ‘girlfriend’…</p>
<p>He really needed to breakup with her, before his friends killed him for her barnacle-like tendencies. </p>
<p>“Zach!” The coach called, gesturing to the other runners getting in position. </p>
<p>‘<i>After I get back,</i>’ Zach promised himself, rolling his neck as he jogged over and got ready for his run.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like I should point out that I'm not misogynist. I'm female, myself, and this is just how I'm writing the 'Zach's Girlfriend' character, whom pretty much has no personality/traits in the movie -other than saying I love you to an obviously non-reciprocating Zach</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Departure and Arrival</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“But Zaaachieeeeeeeee~” Gina whined, arms crossed and glare/pouting from where she was sprawled on Zach’s bed as he packed in his closet. </p>
<p>Zach just gritted his teeth, a twitch of mild rage making his fingers flex like claws for a minute as he took a shirt off a hanger and tossed it in his suitcase, not caring about folding it right now. “What?!” He snapped, a headache at his temples making his temper shorter than usual (<i>and he had a pretty long fuse, seeing as he had to deal with Scott and Gina daily, but it’d been cut in half lately</i>), turning around so he could sneer at her. “I’ve already told you I can’t get out of this-” ‘<i>not that I’d want to, if it meant having to deal with</i> <em>you,</em>’ he thought, feeling like a cobra wound up and ready to strike. “-so, I really don’t know what you expect me to do about this,”</p>
<p>Gina’s pout worsened, her eyes going a bit glossy. “You don’t have to be mean to me,” She muttered, and Zach had to fight back a snort at that, turning back to his closet so he could roll his eyes in disbelief; that was <em>rich</em> coming from her, it really was. “I was just going to tell you to call me and text me while you’re there,” She whined, rolling so she was laying on his bed -like she was trying to be <i>subtly</i> sexy or something. Not that there was anything subtle about her, and Zach sure as Hades didn’t find her sexy -even remotely. “I don’t want to forget what you look like… or sound like.” She ‘purred’, making Zach silently gag -glad his back was still to her as he threw one last shirt in his suitcase. He had packed more than he needed, but that was mostly so he had an excuse to not have to look at Gina. </p>
<p>Well, and he’d had to try and find the suit his Aunt had requested he brought; there was apparently some big dinner at the end of the week, and it was ‘suit’ formal. Luckily, he and Gray would only have to stay for the dinner part, and maybe an hour of the actual ‘party’, so it wasn’t the <i>worst</i> thing in the world -though, it’d still suck to have to play nice with a bunch of investors, probably snooty rich people, and -likely- be ignored in favor of the genius Gray. Because, as much as Zach loved his little brother -though he wouldn’t admit it outloud unless he <i>had</i> to- he’s also sick of being shoved aside for Gray’s blatant genius. </p>
<p>Gray was the special one, and Zach was the black sheep -usually demoted to being ‘Gray’s older brother’. </p>
<p>Shaking his head away from that depressing track fast, Zach dragged his mostly full suitcase over to where his carry-on was waiting -at the end of his bed- and moved to throw a few other things he just ‘<i>couldn’t go without</i>’ in them. Mainly his meds (<i>his birth-control hidden in a book -the Complete Edgar Allen Poe Collection- that was for his ‘winter book-report’, since he and Gray were leave the week before Christmas, and thus four days before Winter Break; he’d already had to take all his exams early -not that they were hard for him, but still… Zach was pretty sure the book report thing was just pettiness on his English teacher’s part</i>), a green Crown Royal bag of odds and ends he didn’t like leaving in general (<i>mostly small trinkets like bad-dragon teenie-weenies, an Infinity Collection gay pride bracelet, pride pins, a raptor claw keychain from Aunt Claire, an Alaska funko pop drag queen, a flashdrive of gay porn and art, and a few other things</i>), and his leather Day/Runner planner/journal, unwilling to leave any of these behind for them to be discovered by Scott. </p>
<p>(<i>His playgirl magazines and the few ‘toys’ he had were already hidden in his Mom’s room, given that she didn’t want to risk Scott finding them either, and were packed up in a separate box from the rest of her stuff</i>).</p>
<p>“I doubt I’m going to have signal out there,” He lied flatly, rolling his eyes again when she let out a wordless whine. Zipping his bags up -more roughly than was necessary, but he was at the end of his patience- Zach checked the time on his phone (<i>safely in his jeans’ front pocket</i>), before grabbing his headphones and putting those around his neck. Gina was still whining and muttering behind him, though he ignored her as he grabbed his bag to take downstairs.</p>
<p>“HEY! I was talking to you!” Gina yelled, clambering to follow after him and tripping over the tangled blankets in the process. “Owie~” She whined, though Zach ignored her as he passed Gray’s room -noticing their Mom talking to him too lowly for him to hear. He only stopped for a second, though, before he was hurrying down to put his bags in the back of the van, shrugging on his heavy coat as he heard Gina following after him with heavy, stomping footsteps. </p>
<p>Zach just rolled his eyes at all the noise she was making as he headed for where Scott was loading Gray’s bags into the back van. The teen didn’t pay the older man any attention as he put his two bags in himself, rolling his eyes again when he saw Gina come almost tumbling out of the house, his Mom and Gray behind her and looking only partially amused. Slamming the back hatch -with a little more force than was necessary, to be honest- before looking over at where Gina was still standing, looking at him expectantly.</p>
<p>“Well? Aren’t you gonna come give me a kiss goodbye?” She asked, giving him a ‘come here now or else’ look. Rolling his eyes, Zach went over -if only because Scott giving him the same look- and shuddered when she wrapped him in her arms. “Call me everyday, and text me pics so I don’t forget what you look like,” She told him, reiterating what she was telling him earlier.</p>
<p>Zach fought the urge to roll his eyes again -mainly because he couldn’t hide it like he could earlier. “You know I’m only going to be gone, like, two weeks,” He told her -for what felt like the millionth time already.</p>
<p>“Zach,” Scott called, looking more amused than he had the right to. “you aren’t going off to war here, so please, come on?” He drawled -reinforcing Zach’s desire to be as far away from all this pretending as possible. </p>
<p>“I-”</p>
<p>“I Love You.” Gina told him, making Zach fight down the urge to vomit.</p>
<p>“- will see you later,” He finished, tone slow and pointed, pushing her away as gently as he could allow himself, ignoring Scott’s ‘vaminos!’. “Bye,” He told her quickly, all but running over to the van to hop into the van as it started. </p>
<p>His Mom and Scott turned to look at him at the same time, both with ‘sympathetic’ expressions. At least his Mom’s looked teasing about it. “I know it hurts, sweetheart,” She told him, one corner of her mouth twitching in an effort to not laugh or smile.</p>
<p>“Are you gonna be okay?” Scott followed up in a baby voice, which just reiterated Zach eternal desire to punch him in the face.</p>
<p>Instead, he just put his headphones on with a drawling ‘yeah,’ and looked out the window -noticing Gray smiling at him from his side. </p>
<p>_+_+_+_</p>
<p>Being so close to Christmas time, O’Hare Airport was busy, a helluva lot busier than when they’d picked Aunt Claire up last Easter, but not so busy that it took forever to get on the plane and 30,000 feet in the air. That was the <i>good part</i>.</p>
<p>The bad part was that, now that Scott wasn’t around, Gray would. Not. Stop. <em>Talking</em>. Like, at all. From the moment the plane took off, it was random dino-fact after random dino-fact. Like, ‘<i>did you know the largest dinosaur eggs were as large as basketballs? The bigger the egg, the thicker the shell! So, if the eggs had been larger, dinosaur babies probably would not have been able to get out!</i>’ Or ‘<i>did you know the first dinosaurs were carnivores, or meat eaters? Later herbivores (plant eaters) and omnivores (both meat and plant eaters) appeared!</i>’ Or, ‘<i>Zach, Zach! Did you know the Stegosaurus has the smallest brain for its body size of any known dinosaur? Its body was the size of a van, but its brain was the size of a walnut!</i>’</p>
<p>Even though Zach’s headphones were one -not that the volume was super loud or anything, but <i>still</i>- Gray was still telling him every dinosaur fact he could think of for the <b>nearly</b> <em>six-hour</em> flight from Chicago to Costa Rica. The only time Gray <i>shut up</i> at all, was when they had to get off at the Juan Santamaría Airport and get through customs. Then it was another five-hours of travel (<i>most of which Gray spent asleep, seeing as the preteen hadn’t slept on the plane</i>) as they rode the bus from the airport in San José to the Jurassic World Ferry Landing in Pochote. And then, Gray was awake again and only stopped talking because they had to read and sign a waiver before they could board the massive catamaran. </p>
<p>A second waiver, if the top was to be believed, saying it was the ‘second in a series of three waivers, ensuring our guests are aware of the rules and risks involved’, or something like that. Zach barely paid <i>that</i> part any mind, seeing as he’d been more worried about the ‘risks’ that going to Jurassic World might involve. Mostly, though, it just read out like a waiver that he remembered having to sign for some school activity that basically said ‘we are not responsible for any stupid choices you make while here’ and ‘failure to follow the rules will get you in trouble’. </p>
<p>After that, is was quick work getting on the Ferry -well, as <i>quick</i> as they could manage with the slow people walking around them- and sailing the however-many-hours it would take to get to the island. Zach didn’t really care <i>how</i> long it took -it was evening, though still fairly light out, when they boarded and were shown to their room, and he just wanted to <i>sleep</i> for the next century because he couldn’t <i>sleep</i> on public transit, so he was <i>tired</i> and <i>cranky</i> as fuck. Luckily, Gray was amendable to going back to sleep, too, so he didn’t have to worry about someone snatching his younger brother because the twelve-year-old had decided to wander around by himself. </p>
<p>_+_+_+_</p>
<p>The brothers woke up about an hour and a half from the island -<i>thank you ceiling voice</i>- so they could get cleaned up and repacked. And for Zach to discover a missed call from Zara, Claire’s ‘assistant’/girlfriend. Several, in fact.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” He answered, smothering a yawn as he sat back on the rather comfortable bed, eyes still heavy as he picked at his meager breakfast absently. “Sorry, we just woke up,” He told her, smothering another yawn.</p>
<p>“Oh, good, I was starting to get worried.” She told them, a sigh in her voice. “I just wanted to let you and Gray know that Claire and I are going to be stuck in meetings until about five-thirty this evening, and that someone will be there to greet you and show you around until then.”</p>
<p>That had him sitting up, an annoyed twitch going through him. “We’d be fine for a few hours,” He told her, wincing at how pissed his own voice sounded. Gray looked at him, a little surprised, but Zach just shook his head. “we don’t need a babysitter, Zara.”</p>
<p>“I’m aware,” She told him, apparently thinking nothing of his little almost-tantrum. “and so is Claire. Owen isn’t a babysitter -he’s more of a… guide, if you will,” She explained, obviously distracted by something else. “And Owen’s aware that he isn’t a babysitter, but he’s also one of the few people Claire would trust with yours and Gray’s safety. We also figured it’d be more convenient for the both of you to have someone show you around today, and then do whatever you want for the rest of your visit.”</p>
<p>“Just us?” He asked, since he was pretty sure his Mom had said something about them spending time with Claire.</p>
<p>Zara sighed, obviously knowing what he was getting at. “I’ve cleared as much of Claire schedule as I was able to, but there are a lot of investors coming in this week that couldn’t -or wouldn’t- reschedule,” Which wasn’t really shocking, if Zach was being completely honest; snooty bastards. “so, the most we’ll actually be able to manage is meals together -maybe even just breakfast and dinner, if we’re lucky,” She explained, sighing and sounding way too tired already. </p>
<p>“Alright,” Zach drawled, having figured something like that would end up happening, if only because he <i>knew</i> how Claire was. “so, who’s our ‘guide’ then? Owen-?”</p>
<p>“Owen Grady, I’ll text you a picture in a minute,” Zara explained, sounding distracted again. “I have to go,”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Zach told her, not feeling bad in the least because he <i>knew</i> how busy Zara and Claire were. He absently wondered if his Mom knew that this would end up happening, before shrugging the thought away; even if she didn’t, she should have. “we’ll see you at dinner tonight,”</p>
<p>“See you both then, bye.” She told him, hanging up at the same time his phone ‘pinged’, letting Zach know he’d gotten a message. </p>
<p>“What’d Zara say?” Gray asked, voice sounding rather small as he watched Zach open the picture message. </p>
<p>Zach didn’t answer right away, distracted -and <i>physically</i> feeling his cheeks heat up- as he looked at the picture of who they were going to spend the day with.</p>
<p><em>Hot</em>, didn’t even do the guy any justice, because the man in the picture -probably an employee-badge picture- was beyond any measure of ‘hot’ that Zach had. He was older -probably in his 30s or something- with short blondish-brown hair and tanned skin, and the most beautiful hazel-green eyes Zach had ever seen. He was way hotter than the Hot Guy™ he’d hooked up with at the track meet a few weeks ago. Honestly, if Zach had to compare them, he’d call this guy a God to Hot Guy™’s mortal status. </p>
<p>“Zach!” Gray shouted -likely not for the first time, if the amused frustration was anything to go by- making said almost-eighteen-year-old’s head snap up. “You’re drooling,” His younger brother teased, giggling like the imp he was as he picked at the pitiful remains of his breakfast. “what did Zara say?” He asked, more than willing to move on from Zach’s Gay™ moment. </p>
<p>Face still flushed crimson, Zach cleared his throat and explained what Zara had said -Gray no more surprised than he was that their Aunt wouldn’t be able to spend more than morning and evening meals with them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Check-In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After they finished breakfast, and talked about Aunt Claire -and their Mom’s rather unrealistic expectations of her, seeing at the woman <em>is</em> the Operations Manager of the whole island- the brothers grabbed their bags and headed up to one of the top points of catamaran-like ferry, Gray rattling off Jurassic World facts at a slower rate than he had been on the plane yesterday. Which Zach was only listening to with half his attention, seeing as he’d noticed a group of girls -two of whom were checking him out blatantly- on the lower deck opposite of them. Nose twitching -something it’d been doing a lot recently- as they smiled flirtatiously at him, Zach looked away just as quickly as he’d spotted them, noticing that Gray had gone silent beside him.</p>
<p>Fighting back a sigh, Zach leaned forward on the railing as Gray stayed uncomfortably silent beside him. This always seemed to happen; they would be getting along, then something ruined it and left them uncomfortable around each other again. He <i>knew</i> that Gray knew he was gay -his younger brother having all but confronted him about it when Scott was on a ‘business’ trip during the summer. And he was fairly sure Gray knew why he was ‘dating’ Gina, but it seemed like every time something like <i>this</i> happened -girls checking him out or flirting with him or Gina being around- the preteen got quiet and awkward around him. Like he <i>didn’t</i> understand.</p>
<p>Zach really couldn’t expect him to, honestly. Sometimes <em>he</em> didn’t understand why he had to deal with all this bullshit either. But he also wasn’t about to risk Scott’s ire -and potential abuse- just to make Gray more comfortable. </p>
<p>Closing his eyes at his selfishness, Zach heaved another heavy sigh before looking up at the island again. Noticing how much closer they were, he bumped his shoulder against Gray’s -smiling a bit bitterly when his baby brother looked up at him. “Come on, we should get down there or we’ll be stuck on the ferry going back -and I really don’t like that idea,” He told Gray, tone slightly teasing -and awkward- as he grabbed the handle-strap of Gray’s bookbag so that he doesn’t lose him in the crowd. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Gray muttered, smiling again -only a bit awkwardly- as he led Zach through the thick herds milling towards the ramp way, the older teen not hesitating to elbow people out of the way (<i>as gently as he had the patience for</i>) when they refused to move out of the way. Gray giggled, trying to smother it, when he heard Zach muttering murderously about the rude people around them.</p>
<p>Zach smiled -just a tiny bit- when he heard the giggle, before glaring at whatever asshole just tried to shove him back. “Watch it!” He snapped, upper lip curling slightly as he tightened his grip of Gray’s backpack. “You good?” He asked, voice lowered as he was shoved into his little brother. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Gray told him, grunting as he was shoved back against Zach because of some impatient woman -who didn’t seem to care that she was being rude and practically punching people out of her way, and then had the audacity to tell <i>them</i> to ‘move out of the way, you rude ass kids’. </p>
<p>It was just a reminder of how much Zach tended to <i>hate</i> being around people. “Bitch,” He muttered, ignoring Gray’s ‘you shouldn’t say bitch,’ as he glared at the woman -fake-blonde, white-turned-almost-orangish-tan, blatantly wealthy and snobby- pushing her way through the people in front of her. ‘<i>hope she gets eaten,</i>’ He thought darkly, nose twitching slightly again as he let Gray lead him to the ramp -the ferry just docking and people of various levels of wealthy spilling out. “remember -we’re looking for some tall, muscly guy named Owen Grady,” He reminded his brother, nostrils flaring when he was shoved again. </p>
<p>“Right,” Gray returned, bouncing on his toes to try and see over the people around them. “think he’ll know what we look like?”</p>
<p>“Dunno,” Zach drawled, using his six-foot height to try and get a better look around; seeing someone who -no, never mind. <i>That</i> guy was way too old and fat to be their guide -plus, unless that picture was <i>really</i> old, that Grady guy didn’t have a stupid van dyke beard. They walked past <i>that</i> guy quickly, Zach shuddering at the <i>stink</i> -like burning plastic or hot metal and weird, cheap-smelling-but-probably-expensive cologne- that was wafting off the old, round man. </p>
<p>“I think I see him!” Gray told him, bouncing in place as he pointed towards someone. </p>
<p>Zach rolled his eyes in that direction, breathing in sharply when he saw the tall, muscular, very hot guy -borderline Demigod- that was to be their babysitter for the day.</p>
<p>Guide, babysitter; Zach really didn’t care, because the guy really was a Demigod. Especially with the way that off-white Henley was clinging to his broad chest and thick arms. That five o’clock shadow, that looked like he hadn’t shaved the last few days and didn’t care…</p>
<p>(<i>Zach was pretty sure he was drooling</i> -again- <i>but he really couldn’t bring himself to care.</i>)</p>
<p>And he was looking around -obviously trying to figure out which ones they were- before he seemed to stiffen and drop his chin to his chest for a moment, a shudder visibly going down his spine before he suddenly looked in their direction. Zach felt a shiver go down his own spine at the look in Grady’s eyes, which seemed to nearly <i>glow</i> before he was smiling at them. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Zach muttered, surprised at how breathy he sounded before he shook himself out of it and cleared his throat. “yeah -pretty sure that’s him.” He told Gray, dropping his hand from the preteen’s backpack so that they could walk over to Grady together. </p>
<p>“Hi!” The older man greeted, large hands resting on narrow hips as he looked down at the brothers. “You must be Claire’s nephews, right?” He told them, the end sounding a bit like a question -like he wasn’t <i>one-hundred-percent</i> certain they were who he was supposed to be meeting.</p>
<p>“Yup!” Gray chirped, smiling sunnily up at their designated guide for the day. “I’m Gray, and this is my brother Zach!” He told the man, bouncing in place slightly. The kid was like an otter most days; very little actually kept him in one spot unless it was completely engrossing for him. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Zach drawled, giving Grady a closed lip smile as he gave him a twice-over, biting the inside of his cheeks at how much hotter the guy was in person. “and you’re Owen Grady?” He asked, using the same tone Owen had -well, maybe a bit more flat- before he hissed, the sound almost feral, when some asshole pushed into him from before. “Watch it!” He snapped, feeling his nose twitch again as he glared at the tall latino that had shoved him. </p>
<p>The man ignored him -too engrossed in his texting- so Zach just turned back to Owen and Gray, giving their guide a tight smile. Owen raised a brow at him, the corners of his lips twitching a bit, before he grunted himself -someone shoving past him roughly. “Okaaay,” The man drawled, rolling his shoulders before gesturing towards the hill behind him. “let’s get going, so we can get you checked in and touch base with Claire.”</p>
<p>“Sounds good,” Zach drawled back, nose twitching again as he grabbed Gray’s backpack and followed Owen.</p>
<p>“What do you do at the park?” The preteen asked, looking exceptionally tiny between his older, fairly tall brother and the large man who was even taller than Zach. </p>
<p>“I’m the head raptor trainer,” Owen told them, grinning rather impishly, which Zach just raised a brow at, even as Gray gasped excitedly.</p>
<p>“Velociraptors?!” Gray asked, bouncing even more as he looked up at Owen like one looked up at an idol. </p>
<p>Owen cocked his head to the side slightly as he looked down at the preteen, still grinning, before glancing up at Zach for a second. “Kinda -their DNA is actually <i>Deinonychus</i>, but there had been a lot of confusion back when they were first cloning them. Plus, I think Hammond had liked the way ‘Velociraptor’ rolls off the tongue, more than the mouthful that is <i>Deinonychus</i>.”</p>
<p>“Gesundheit,” Zach deadpanned to him, biting the inside of his lower lip when Owen chuckled at his cheek. </p>
<p>“How many are there?” Gray asked, still bouncing around like a wallaby as they waited for people to get <i>moving</i> up the stairs to the monorail.</p>
<p>“There’s four of them, all girls,” Owen told him -them, whatever- as he stretched his arms above his head absently, making Zach look away with a deep flush as he fought not to drool <i>again</i>. “and they’re about… three and a half.” He explained, grinning when Gray started asking a thousand things at once -too fast for Zach to keep up with. </p>
<p>Hiding a smile at his little brother’s enthusiasm, Zach pulled out his phone when he felt it vibrate -grimacing instantly when he saw it was Gina. Ignoring her, he sent a quick text to his Mom -letting her know they’d arrived on the island in one piece- before shoving his phone back in his pocket as he followed Owen and Gray up to the monorail.</p>
<p>“Can we see the raptors!?” Gray asked, bouncing in place as he looked up at Owen like he was Ironman or Captain America.</p>
<p>Owen cocked his head to the side, glancing away for a second before twitching his nose absently. “Not… today,” He told them, voice lowered as he led the brothers onto the monorail. “we had an… <i>incident</i>, for a lack of better words, this morning.” He explained, directing Zach and Gray to sit while he remained standing. </p>
<p>“Incident?” Zach asked, looking up at the taller man as he ushered Gray into the seat closest to the window subconsciously -glaring when some chick then tried to take <i>his</i> seat. </p>
<p>“No one died,” Owen told him, tone only slightly joking -and only a little strained- as he watched Zach take his seat. “and it was the new guy’s own fault, but it still put a damper on what had been a successful training drill.” He explained, still -Zach noticed- watching the older teen from the corner of his eyes. </p>
<p>Zach hummed his understanding as he listened to Gray start asking a million and one things again, choosing to remain silent as he stretched his legs out in front of him; pretty much caging Gray into their seating. He <i>knew</i>, from exploring the Jurassic World website and their social media pages, that there weren’t any raptor attractions; when he’d asked Claire about it, once, she’d said they were for research purposes, though she hadn’t elaborated beyond that -and, if he remembered right, generally changed the subject pretty quickly whenever he’d asked about them after that. So, he’d stopped asking about them, wanting to stay within his Aunt’s good graces.</p>
<p>Still, he was interested -and tuned back into Gray and Owen’s conversation whenever the raptors were brought up, while trying to ignore the way his phone was buzzing insistently already. A quick check confirmed that his Mom had gotten his text about their arrival to the island, but the rest were from Gina. Rolling his eyes at her obsessive behavior, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and put his headphones on -the volume low as he looked around the cabin of the train before settling his half-mast gaze out the window.</p>
<p>About twenty minutes later, they were past the overly dramatic gates to Jurassic World and pulling into the station at what Owen called the ‘Central Plaza’ of the whole park. “It’s where the majority of businesses and attractions are,” Owen told them, when Gray asked, and chuckled when Zach grabbed the strap on the preteens bookbag to prevent him from running too far ahead of them. </p>
<p>“Calm down, dork,” Zach told him, tone fond and exasperated all at once. “they aren’t going to give our room away -Aunt Claire would probably shoot them-” Owen chuckled knowingly to that, meaning that was probably an accurate guess, making Zach’s lips twitch into an almost smile. “- and we have to get checked in before we can see anything, anyways.” He added, keeping a hold on Gray’s pack so that the kid didn’t get lost. </p>
<p>“I know,” Gray muttered, pouting and practically vibrating as they headed for the hotel, dodging around the herds just <i>standing</i> in the way and talking or taking pictures. “Can we see the T-Rex first?” He asked, looking up at Owen as they headed for the front desk. </p>
<p>“Sure -well,” Owen amended quickly, smiling politely at the receptionist. “I have to pick up a few things from the Innovation Center, but we can see Rexy after that.”</p>
<p>“Rexy?” Zach asked, letting go of Gray so that he could hand his and Gray’s passports to the receptionist. “Zach and Gray Mitchell? Our Aunt, Claire Dearing, booked us a room,” He told the older woman -twitching a bit when he saw she was very-NOT-subtly trying to flirt with Owen, who just smiled politely at her before his attention was back on Gray. </p>
<p>“That’s what everyone calls her now,” Owen explained, ruffling Gray’s fair affectionately when the kid yelped excitedly. “I guess she used to be called Roberta or something, but everyone just started calling her Rexy when the park reopened. Same way everyone pretty much calls the Mosasaurus ‘Moe’, though I’m pretty sure her trainers call her Amphitrite -after the Greek goddess and queen of the sea.”</p>
<p>Zach hummed his understanding as the receptionist handed their passports back and slid over a sheet of paper, the teen looking up at her with a raised eyebrow. “<i>Another</i> waiver?” He asked, disbelief obvious. </p>
<p>“There’s been several stupid incidents in the last five years,” Owen told him, leaning on the counter so he could tap the sheet of paper a few times. “they started doing the triple-repeat waivers about… two years ago?” He asked, glancing at the receptionist, whom nodded eagerly. “Yeah, two years ago,” He reaffirmed, smiling his thanks at the woman, who very nearly swooned (<i>Zach had to keep from rolling his eyes, lest they roll right out of his head</i>). “anyways, they were implemented because some dou- I mean, <i>idiot</i>,” He amended quickly, making Zach snort as he reread the waiver -still listening, while Gray was being unusually quiet, obviously enraptured by whatever Owen was saying. “and a few of his buddies decided that the rules don’t apply to them -I guess the guy’s daddy, or someone, was a long-time investor?- because they felt the need to break into the aviary after Park curfew, while <i>drunk</i>, and started taunting the dimorphodons.”<br/>

“Are you serious?” Zach asked, looking up from where he was signing his initials while Gray gasped and Owen hummed his confirmation -checking something on his phone quickly. “What a dumbass, did he get eaten?”</p>
<p>Owen chuckled -slightly darkly- as he tucked his phone away again. “No, but he was maimed and missing most of an arm, and he’d tried getting his investor-relative -I’m pretty sure it was his daddy- to sue the park.” He explained, while Gray looked fascinatedly horrified by the fact that the man had lost most of an arm. “Unfortunately for them, there was footage -with <i>audio</i>- of them breaking in and provoking the dimorphs.”</p>
<p>“That’s good, at least.” Zach drawled, biting his lips to keep from giving the older man a slightly vicious smirk. “Here,” He muttered, tapping Gray’s shoulder so he could read the waiver and sign it. “we don’t wanna cause to much trouble for Aunt Claire, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Gray half-whispered, seemingly still thinking about what Owen had told them, as he read over the paper.</p>
<p>While the preteen was distracted with that, Zach edged closer to Owen -suppressing a shudder when he caught the man’s scent; it was all deep jungle and warm skin, with a slight undertone of blood and sweat that hinted more at hard work rather than a lack of hygiene. It was intoxicating. Mentally shaking that away, Zach glanced up to see the man had shaken his own head before glancing back down at him -the difference in their height barely a few inches. “So… that story true?” He asked, voice barely a whisper so that Gray didn’t hear them.</p>
<p>“Oh, totally,” Owen told him, chuckling as he crossed his thick arms over his broad chest -Zach had to look away so he didn’t start drooling again. “Masrani -that’s the owner- managed to keep it all pretty low-key, though, especially since there was an overwhelming amount of evidence that it was the idiot’s own fault. When the investor tried to sue the Park for what happened, the lawyers were able to turn it right back around and pretty much ruined that man’s family.”</p>
<p>“Serves’em right,” Zach muttered, making Owen chuckled a touch darkly. “and the incident this morning…?” He asked, remembering what the man had said about not being able to see the raptors today.</p>
<p>Owen cocked his head to the side as he looked at him from the corner of his eyes. “New guy who hadn’t listened to the rules and fell in the paddock,” He explained, voice low; watching as Gray chatted with the woman at the desk, who’d been very indulgent with the genius preteen. “had to get in-between him and the girls, but they were pissed about an invader in their home.”</p>
<p>“Imagine that,” Zach snorted, smirking slightly when Owen grinned at him. “so, no deaths?”</p>
<p>“Nah, got him out safely and immediately sent him to medical, and told him to find work at the petting zoo instead.” He confirmed, plastering on a grin when Gray bounced over to them. “Alright! Let’s get you two settled in, so I can call Claire-”</p>
<p>“More like Zara,” Zach quipped, making Gray giggle and Owen snort, obviously agreeing.</p>
<p>“-to let them know you’re here, and to see when and where I have to drop y’all off.” Owen concluded, clapping his hands before resting them on the brothers’ shoulders -very pointedly hooking his fingers in the strap of Gray’s bookbag so the boy couldn’t run off.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Rexy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The suite -thankfully not a penthouse- was extremely luxurious, without being gaudy or uncomfortable. There was a balcony immediately off the main room, and a door that led to the bedrooms -which were separated from each other by a slidable wall. The kitchenette and bathroom were fully stocked -the latter also equipped with a jacuzzi bath, large enough for four adults and complete with jets, while the former was cleared of anything alcohol related. The dining table -near the balcony- had a Welcome Card on it, along with an Edible Arrangements fruit bouquet. </p>
<p>It was nice -almost too nice, for Zach’s taste, but he also wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. </p>
<p>“You two get unpacked, I’ll give Zara a call,” Owen told them, looking a bit as amazed by the fancy-pants room as Zach and Gray did, before he wandered over to the balcony and signed. “not a bad view,” Zach heard the man mutter, even as he pulled his phone out. </p>
<p>Zach watched the man for a moment longer, just admiring the way his Henley and vest fit across his broad, muscular back, before he shook his gay thoughts away and headed for the bedroom(s) -the sliding wall retracted for the moment. </p>
<p>Their suitcases were at the foot of their respective beds, while a box -about the same size as his Day/Runner journal- sat on a dark-wood tray on the end of the actual mattresses, along with a smaller, narrower box, and -at least in Zach’s case- a cream colored, cardstock envelope. There was also a small, origami nest near the pillows, with a trio of dark-green, egg-shaped truffles in each. </p>
<p>“Fancy,” He drawled flatly, tossing his bag near his suitcase before picking up the envelope -recognizing his Aunt’s painfully neat scrawl instantly. He noticed Gray eagerly looking through his Welcome Kit from the corner of his eyes, smirking fondly as he opened and read the letter quickly. </p>
<p>It was basically what he’d expected; Claire -and Zara- apologizing for not being able to meet them at the docks, while also promising that they’d be able to <i>at least</i> have breakfast and dinner together every day, and that there was a credit card included for them <i>both</i> to use. Zara had also added a blurb that there was a <i>limit</i> on the card, and that it would stop working if that limit was hit. </p>
<p>Folding the letter back up, Zach tucked that into his suitcase -to put in his journal later- before pulling out his wallet and tucking the credit card in that. </p>
<p>“Zach! Aunt Claire gave us gift cards!” Gray told him, sounding super excited as he waved said piece of plastic around. </p>
<p>“Cool,” Zach told him, tone drawling but fond as he flipped open his own Welcome Kit, grabbing the card to tuck in with the credit card and one of the room keycards. “she left us a credit card to -make sure you have that scan-band on,” He reminded, grabbing his own to put on -remembering what Claire had told their Mom about the bands having trackers in them. </p>
<p>“Gotcha -can we go now!?” Gray asked, tucking a few things in his dork-pouch before snapping it on. </p>
<p>“Let me unpack a bit, then we can go, alright?” Zach told him, hiding a fond smile when Gray whined. “Relax, dork -we still have plenty of time to see what we can see today; taking ten minutes to unpack won’t put us that far behind.”</p>
<p>“Says you!” Gray shot back, laughing as he went about unpacking his own bags. </p>
<p>Shaking his head at his brother’s enthusiasm, Zach made a point of getting his little trinket bag -and birth control- tucked into the nightstand, blushing when he saw it was stocked with a ridiculously large box of condoms, an equally large bottle of lube, a box of tampons and towelettes, and a hardcover copy of ‘<span class="u"><i>Doing It Right: Making Smart, Safe, and Satisfying Choices About Sex</i></span>’ by Bronwen Pardes in the drawer. Still flushed at the sight, he quickly tucked his things away before slamming the drawer shut again, then walking over to hang his clothes -especially his folded and bagged suit- in the narrow closet between his bed and the wall. </p>
<p>He could hear Owen talking in the living room, Gray -finished unpacking already- speeding out to join him, staying patiently quiet while the trainer finished up his call. Satisfied with his own space, Zach tucked his bags under the bed, made sure he had everything he’d need, then headed out to where Gray and Owen were standing on the balcony. </p>
<p>“Yeah -yeah -yeah,” Owen told whomever he was talking to, rolling his eyes as he leaned on the banister, grinning when he noticed Zach come out. He made a ‘gabbing’ motion with his free hand, mouthing ‘Claire’ at them before rolling his eyes again. Covering a smirk with his own hand, Zach leaned on the banister himself, sighing when he looked out over the Park. They were pretty high up -high enough that they could see pretty much the whole lagoon and the Plaza on the other side of it. </p>
<p>It was pretty impressive, really, but what was more impressive was the lush greenery just beyond the Plaza, the way the mountains jutted high into the sky with wisps of clouds lazily swimming around them. He could <i>just</i> make out a large shape in the lagoon, the fluke of the Mosasaur breaching the water for barely a second before disappearing again. </p>
<p>It was… breathtaking, in all honesty. Relaxing and invigorating all at once. </p>
<p>Suddenly, Zach felt just as much excitement as Gray -well, maybe to a mute level- but <i>still</i>, the excitement of being <i>here</i>, and not just away from Scott and Gina and all that pretending bullshit back at home, was-</p>
<p>“Wow,” He whispered, inhaling deeply before sighing out, smiling when he heard Gray giggle behind him. </p>
<p>“Impressive, huh?” Owen asked, finally tucking his phone away as he leaned on the banister again. “I’ve never actually seen it from this kinda level, so it’s pretty cool.”</p>
<p>“Very,” Zach breathed out, smiling a bit shyly when he glanced up at Owen through his lashes, blushing when the man raised an amused brow at him. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Zach straightened back up as he looked at the older man. “so… what did Aunt Claire have to say?”</p>
<p>“This, that, no funny business -drop you two off at Tachibana’s Steakhouse and Sushi Bar at 5:30,” Owen told them, shrugging as he straightened up himself. “mostly, though, to just make sure you guys have a good time today,”</p>
<p>“Awesome -can we go now?” Gray chirped, bouncing in place as he snapped a picture of the view from their balcony. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Owen chuckled, gesturing for them to lead the way. Zach followed his brother at a more sedentary pace, a small, fond smirk on his face as Gray practically raced out of the hotel room -leaving the door wide open behind him. “kid sure has a lot of energy,”</p>
<p>“You have no idea yet,” Zach told him, tone drawling as he locked the door behind them, checking his phone quickly -grimacing when he saw the <b><i>fifty</i></b> text messages and <b><i>thirty</i></b> missed calls from Gina, before clearing them and tucking his phone in his pocket. A glance up had him noticing that Owen was watching him curiously, a brow raised and a question in his eyes. “my… ‘girlfriend’,” He explained in short, grimacing at the bad taste it still left in his mouth.</p>
<p>Understanding seemed to light Owen’s eyes, as he gave a sympathetic smile and nod, before Gray was bouncing back towards them like Tigger to tell them they were being ‘way too slow!’ </p>
<p>“We’re coming, we’re coming! Slow down dork,” Zach told him, rolling his eyes as he hooked his fingers in the back of Gray’s dork-pouch before the kid could run too far ahead again. “we still have to stop at the Center place, remember?”</p>
<p>“The Innovation Center,” Owen told them, leading them towards the elevator. “it’ll be a fairly quick stop -just got to pick up some paperwork from Dr. Hamilton and a new medical kit for the Raptor Paddock.” He explained, checking his phone when it vibrated. “Looks like she has it all together, too.” He added, pocketing his phone again -while Zach grimaced when his own phone buzzed insistently in his own pocket. </p>
<p>He had half a mind to block Gina’s number for the remainder of the trip, but then he’d never hear the end of it when he got home -even though he was planning on breaking up with her then. For now, though, he’d just had to deal with clearing his messages and voicemail -so that he had space for <i>important</i> people, like his Mom and Aunts. </p>
<p>_+_+_+_</p>
<p>Central Plaza is chaos. Organized Chaos, but still chaos. People moving in almost herd like formations, going in and out of stores and restaurants, with the occasional cartoony, dinosaur-shaped stroller for toddlers and babies…</p>
<p>It’s almost anxiety inducing, how many people there are -and, from what he’d heard, the park was only at <span class="u">12%</span> capacity because of the holidays. Which was just insane; Zach <i>really</i> didn’t want to know how bad it was when the park was actually <i>full</i>. </p>
<p>(<i>Just thinking about it was almost enough to give him an anxiety attack.</i>)</p>
<p>And the Innovation Center was just as chaotic -though on a smaller scale- with people everywhere. And a lot of little kids -along with a holographic long-neck (<i>an apathosaur? Zach wasn’t sure, he got similar dino’s mixed up all the time</i>) taking up the middle of the room. He had to admit, the way they mixed technology and prehistory together was pretty cool; he’d probably be enjoying himself as much as Gray was if he wasn’t so conditioned to hide his true feelings and appear apathetic.</p>
<p>‘<i>Stop it,</i>’ He told himself, feeling bitterness curl up in his chest as he followed Owen and Gray around the holographic display -his brother running up to the ‘Mr. DNA’ station, while Owen flagged down someone in JW blues. ‘<i>he isn’t within a thousand miles of you,</i> <b><i>relax,</i></b>’ He ordered himself, breathing deeply against the resentment in his chest before exhaling slowly. </p>
<p>“Cytosine, guanine, adenine and thymine. The same four things in everything that ever lived.” Gray rattles off, playing with the touch screen. Zach just gives him a small smile as he joins him.</p>
<p>“Just don’t wander off, alright?” He tells the preteen, ruffling his hair as he looks up briefly, noticing that Owen was still talking to someone. “Hate for you to get lost or taken… though they’d probably give you back if you talk at them enough.” He teases, making Gray chuckle and swat at his hands. </p>
<p>“OWEN!” Someone yelled -somehow audible over the cacophony of voices filling the room- making Zach look over to see a rather tall, moderately plump woman, probably in her late-30s, walking over to the raptor trainer. She was fairly pretty -for an older woman- with thick raven hair, streaked with thin slivers of silver and worn in a shaggy pixie cut, amused whisky-hazel eyes, and skin nearly as tan as Owen’s, suggesting she spent just as much time outside as he did, despite the fact that she was wearing a white lab coat as well. She was also carrying a rather large, formerly-white first aid in her arms, a thick manila folder sitting on top. “Perfect timing!” She told the trainer, red-painted lips cocked impishly.</p>
<p>Owen just laughed hardily, slapped the man he was talking with on the shoulder, and ambled over to the woman. Zach shot a look at Gray -who hadn’t seemed to notice the exchange yet- before tapping his brother on the shoulder and trotting over himself. “Thanks, Dr. Hamilton.” Owen told the woman, laughing as she wrinkled her nose at the formality.</p>
<p>“I’ve told you,” She hissed, though there was a teasing tone to her scold that had Zach between jealous and amused. “it’s Megan or Meg -and if you insist on the formalities, <i>Mr. Grady</i>-” She shot back, making Owen sneer just as badly. “it’s Dr. Young, now.” She told him, shoving the medical kit against his chest.</p>
<p>Despite his small grunt when he caught the heavy box, Owen was grinning excitedly at her. “So, your divorce was finalized?” He asked, obviously happy for the woman, who just hummed her affirmation. “Congrats!”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” She told him, checking her phone before noticing Zach and Gray standing just behind Owen. “can I help you?” She asked, tone polite as Gray ducked closer. </p>
<p>“Claire’s got me playing guide for the day,” Owen told her, winking down at Gray -who just giggled- while Zach fought down a smirk. </p>
<p>“Ahh,” Megan drawled, chuckling as she held her hand out to Gray. “nice to meet you; I’m Dr. Megan Young, Lead Veterinarian.” She introduced, grinning when Gray shook her hand.</p>
<p>“I’m Gray -that’s my brother, Zach!” Gray told her, nearly wiggling in place as looked up at the woman -obviously trying to not just start blurting out every question on his mind. </p>
<p>“They’re Claire’s nephews,” Owen added, stepping aside for Megan could get a view of Zach, who just waved at her half-heartedly. </p>
<p>“Ahh,” Megan repeated, tone stuttering when her eyes met Zach’s -a look of mild horror crossing her face, making her smile tight and strained and her eyes wide. Zach frowned, confused, before he looked away -hands tucked in his pockets to hide his clenched fist. </p>
<p>A few awkward seconds passed before Gray couldn’t contain himself anymore and started asking the veterinarian a thousand and one questions all at once. Dr. Young’s attention was instantly diverted, her smile back full force as she answered Gray’s questions about what she did.</p>
<p>Zach tried not to feel bitter about it; he was used to being ignored for his little brother -he really was- but that didn’t mean it didn’t bother him. Nor did he like the apparent fact that Dr. Young had something against him, despite just <i>meeting</i>.</p>
<p>Owen, having watched the exchange silently, cleared his throat with a sunny smile -grabbing Gray’s attention. “I think we have an appointment at the T-Rex Kingdom?” He told them, Zach watching silently as he raised an eyebrow at the woman pointedly.</p>
<p>Megan just shook her head, glancing at Zach for a split second -which just made him hunch in on himself more- before she told her goodbyes to the boys and practically sprinted away. </p>
<p>“Okay!” Owen told them, bumping into Zach’s shoulder gently, before gesturing with his head towards the door. “Let’s drop this stuff off in my jeep, then we can head to the feeding.” He told them, readjusting his hold on the box before leading the way. </p>
<p>Gray followed eagerly, chatting with the older man easily, while Zach trailed behind -mood shot to Hell because of the weird encounter. </p>
<p>_+_+_+_</p>
<p>After the quick pit-stop to drop off the first aid kit and the manila folder (<i>‘my reports,’ Owen had explained, nose wrinkled though he’d given them a playful wink in the process</i>) in Owen’s very dusty Jeep Wrangler, they beelined for the view log of the Tyrannosaurus Rex Kingdom -just <i>barely</i> beating the midday crowd that was quickly swarming there as well. While Gray plastered himself to the window as soon as he was able to -in prime location to see the goat get eaten, according to Owen- Zach hung back just enough to keep people from crowding around his little brother and still have a pretty great view as well. </p>
<p>“So… she’s from the original park?” He asked, glancing over at the taller man when he slid up beside him -grimacing when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. </p>
<p>“Yup -she was one of the first batch successfully bred.” Owen explained, grinning when Gray yelped excitedly. </p>
<p>“There’re others?!” He asked, nearly wiggling with excitement as he looked back out the window. </p>
<p>“Yeah, they’re on Isla Sorna, though,” Owen told them, moving so that small children and generally shorter people could get closer to see. “Masrani basically bought the rest of the Islands that In*Gen had originally lease and turned them into nature preserves for the dinosaurs and other revived creatures -there’s actually an island where they’re working on reviving animals that are extinct because of humans or are going extinct because of humans.” He explained, smothering a quick yawn.</p>
<p>“That’s… pretty cool,” Zach drawled, not really knowing what else to say to the fact that, apparently, his Aunt’s boss was the forerunner in the Reverse-Extinction field. Kind of like how Tony Stark and Stark Industries are the forerunners in the Clean Energy field. </p>
<p>“It’s pretty impressive,” Owen agreed, stepping a bit closer to teen as more people filed into the log; there was still about five minutes until the feeding <i>actually</i> started though.</p>
<p>Gray looked back at them curiously. “Have you been there?” He asked, voice just barely carrying over the cacophony of other voices in the echoing pseudo-log. </p>
<p>“A few times to Sorna, mainly to run drills with the other handlers, or help preserve wardens when they’re short on people.” Owen told them, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked around lazily. “Mostly, though, I’m kept here -since I’m the only one the raptors completely listen to… and that’s only <i>most</i> of the time.” He add, something slightly bitter in his chuckle, before he seemed to move on. “You know… the Rexes’ sight isn’t actually based on movement?”</p>
<p>“It isn’t?” Zach asked, only partially interested, exhaling with frustration when Gina kept texting him, disrupting what little progress he’d made in trying to text his Mom that he’d call her later.</p>
<p>“Nah, the In*Gen idiots -the scientists, that is- messed up a sequence when they were recreating them. They don’t even <i>know</i> what they messed up, so it wasn’t something they could fix with any other generation of T-Rex,” Owen explained, picking at his cuticles slightly as he stared out into the Rex paddock. </p>
<p>“Didn’t Dr. Grant do an interview about how the incident with the first park was pure, lucky coincidence?” Gray asked, looking up from where he was telling a few younger kids some dinosaur facts.</p>
<p>Owen hummed, grinning and wiggling his fingers at a toddler in her mother’s arms. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he wrote a whole book on the little differences between In*Gen’s creations and their prehistoric counterparts.”</p>
<p>“Sounds like you know a lot about everything,” Zach drawled, watching the man from the corner of his eyes -fighting back a hiss when someone shoved against him to get a better view. </p>
<p>Owen just shrugged, smiling as he and Zach watched Gray turn back to chattering with the kids that up there with him. “Got a Master’s in Animal Behavior when they asked me to come work here, along with a Bachelor’s in Paleobiology. Trained seals and dolphins for the Navy before that,” He explained, voice lowered but still more than loud enough for the teen to hear.</p>
<p>“Cool,” Zach told him, trying to contain his excitement that this absolute <i>badass</i> had been in the Navy, on top of being a gorgeous stud and smart to boot. </p>
<p>He couldn’t ask for a better fantasy man; he <i>really</i> hoped the sliding wall between his and Gray’s room was soundproof.</p>
<p>“Here we go!” Owen told them, making nearly <i>everyone</i> look over to see there was now a goat bleating a few yards away from the log. “They should be throwing flare down there soon.”</p>
<p>“Flare?” Zach asked, scooting a bit closer to the hunky raptor trainer when people started clamoring to get closer -despite the audible growl coming from his throat. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Owen told him, stiffening for a second before relaxing again. “I guess she started associating them with food back during the incident at the old park. I don’t really know the details, but I know that it’s one of the few ways they can get her to come for a snack when she’s being stubborn.”</p>
<p>Zach glanced up at him for a second before looking back out at the goat, nose twitching as his stomach growled -how the Hell was he hungry, when he knew that goat was about to get eaten whole? “They just feed her?” He asked, a little surprised that the Rex doesn’t want to hunt or anything.</p>
<p>“She’s fairly old -one of the oldest dinosaurs here at the park,” Owen told him, watching the goat with interest. “so, she really doesn’t care for hunting as much as she did when she was younger. Besides, this is more convenient for shows and stuff,” He explained, shrugging again.</p>
<p>Zach just hummed, only partially understanding, as he watched a bright red flare get thrown from… somewhere above the log, before he felt the heavy, thudding footfalls that announced the Rex’s arrival. The trees were shaking as she walked into the clearing -larger that Zach had pictured in his mind. For <i>some</i> reason, he’d thought she was smaller, because while she wasn’t <i>gigantic</i>, she was still more than large enough to eat him -or probably any other person on the island- in one bite.</p>
<p>Which should have been scarier than it was. </p>
<p>Probably because he was distracted by the way she roared -nearly excitedly- at the sight of the goat and chomped on it quickly. </p>
<p>Stomach growling at what should have been horrifying -maybe even disgusting- Zach turned away from the feeding when he felt his mouth starting to water, disgusted with the fact that he was <i>seriously getting hungry</i> by the sight of Rexy eating her midday snack. ‘<i>What the Hell is wrong with me?</i>’ He mentally growled, crossing his arms over his chest as he hunched in on himself slightly. All around him, everyone else was having <i>normal</i> reactions of disgust or horrified fascination -and he doubted <i>any</i> of them were wondering there they could get something to eat after watching <i>that</i>-</p>
<p>“We still have about an hour to kill before the Mosasaur show,” He heard Owen say, prompting Zach to look over and see he was rubbing his hands together, grinning down at a slightly green, very excited Gray, the preteen bouncing excitedly next to that much taller man. “what’s say we get a bite to eat ourselves, huh?” He suggested, chuckling when Gray looked a touch greener. </p>
<p>“How are you… hungry after that?” Zach asked, even as his own stomach rumbled again; it hadn’t even been that <i>long</i> since breakfast on the ferry, what the hell was wrong with him?</p>
<p>Owen just looked at him, smiling cheekily, and shrugged. “I’m pretty desensitized to that kind of feeding, seeing as I’m the one who’s usually feeding the ‘<i>girls</i>’ at their paddock.” He explained, nudging Gray forward so they could find a place to eat. “That, and it’s been quite a while since I’ve eaten, myself, and Rexy enjoying her snack reminded me about that important fact,” He added, winking playfully at the two of them. “There’s this place down the street, near Moe’s tank, that’s perfect for nice quick meals or a light snack,” </p>
<p>“Fine with me,” Zach told him, pulling out his phone when it started vibrating a familiar rhythm. “Mom’s calling, Gray.” He told his brother, already looking for a quiet place to answer her. Seeing <i>none</i>, he just shrugged and hit the call button. “Hey Mom,”</p>
<p>“<i>Hi sweetie,</i>” She returned, though she sounded a bit distracted by something. Zach just rolled his eyes, looking up to see that Owen and Gray were still within sight -still gabbing at each other. “<i>how are you settling in?</i>”</p>
<p>“Pretty well,” Zach told her, a bit distracted himself; how was it that seeing the raptor trainer being so doting on Gray, somehow made the man more attractive? “We’re pretty much just exploring right now -seeing a few sights before meeting up with Aunt Claire and Zara for dinner,” He explained, biting back a shy smile when Owen looked over and just… smiled, at him. Seriously, he was too gay to handle this ridiculously attractive man.</p>
<p>“<i>Wait, she’s not with you?</i>” He heard his Mom ask, her attention suddenly fully on him and their conversation. </p>
<p>“Zara cleared as much of her schedule as she could, but I guess a lot of the investors refused to reschedule,” He explained quickly, not wanting to get his Aunt in too much trouble. “besides, it’s fine -she and Zara have it so that we can have at least breakfast and dinner together every day we’re here, plus we have these access passes that mean we don’t have to wait in line, and she gave us a credit card.” He told her, wincing when he realized that that probably wasn’t going to help Aunt Claire’s case. </p>
<p>“<i>She was supposed to be spending time with you and Gray,</i>” Karen huffed, and Zach had to keep from rolling his eyes at how unrealistic her expectations of her sister were. “you two have fun -and stay out of trouble, alright?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, alright,” He drawled, sighing when he heard the call disconnect. “love you too, Mom,” He muttered, tone low and sarcastic as he shoved his phone back in his pocket, walking over to where Owen and Gray still were. “are we going to eat, or…?” He drawled, nose twitching with his annoyance at how the phone call went.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated -writer's block has been a b*tch, and a chest cold (NOT Corvid-19, thank the ancients) turned bacterial infection has sapped any motivation to write ANYTHING lately. I'm gonna try and post what I already have done -which is, besides this chapter, the next one- by next Friday. Hopefully my Muse comes back and this infection takes a one-way dive into the center of the Earth</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Amphitrite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry to say this, but this story is going to be going on an indefinite hiatus as of today. I just don't have the mental capacity to focus on Jurassic World right now -another fandom has sucked me in deep- but I <i>will</i> eventually continue this story. </p>
<p>In the mean time, enjoy this chapter; it's a bit short, but this is about the place that I started losing my muse</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, what do you two want?” Owen asked, rubbing his hands together as he looked at the cafeteria-style buffet of the Thunder Falls Terrace, eyes darting around the options. </p>
<p>“Aunt Claire left us a credit card,” Zach told him, mouth watering at the sight and scent of the turkey legs and ribs and rotisserie chicken… “we can pay for our food-”</p>
<p>“My treat,” Owen insisted, watching as Gray picked out a tropical fruit cup and lemonade. “hope you don’t mind if I get something a little heavier; I haven’t eaten since breakfast this morning, and that was around 4:30.” He told them, perusing the options. </p>
<p>Zach just shrugged, grabbing a plate of Cajun French fries and a cherry coke -trying to ignore how his mouth watered as he watched Owen grab a rotisserie chicken rice bowl, the older man asking for a corona with lime as he paid for their meals. Gray was already racing over to an open table by the indoor waterfall wall decoration, with an uninterrupted view of the lagoon and the amphitheater down the boardwalk. Zach followed after him at a more sedate pace, stopping by the condiments and plasticware to grab a few packets of ketchup, mayo, and hot sauce, along with a few napkins. </p>
<p>He tries not to pay Owen any attention, tries to ignore how every little action the older man does is noticeable to him. The man’s probably twice his age, ruggedly gorgeous, and lives on an isolated island where he trains <i>raptors</i> -why would he be interested some <i>kid</i> from the States who’s only going to be there for a few weeks? Sure, it’d probably be an amazing ‘no-strings’ hook-up, like what Zach was hoping to get while here, but now that seems so… almost, nauseating wasn’t the right word. Kind of wrong?</p>
<p>Because as much as he still wants to take advantage of this trip to relieve himself of his virginity, and as much as Owen’s damn near <i>perfect</i> in certain aspects -especially for fantasizing- Zach isn’t sure how willing he’d be for a one-night stand. Especially given the fact that Claire’s his <i>Aunt</i> and Owen’s <i>boss</i>. It has all the hallmarks of a bad idea in the best kind of way… but even Zach’s realistic enough to know that it’ll probably never happen. It’d probably be a better idea to find someone <i>closer</i> to his own age for a hook-up, set some ground rules, and just… take care of business. </p>
<p>Sneering at how detached that sounded -even just in his head- Zach shook the thoughts away as he sat by Gray and mixed up a bit of spicy fry sauce, pointedly staring out the window when Owen sat across from them. His brother, on the other hand, immediately started chattering to the man again; seriously, with the way Gray could rattle off fact after fact, Zach couldn’t help but think the kid could put the Snapple writers out of business. Listening with only one ear, Zach forces himself to keep his attention out the window, only glancing over whenever he was mentioned and responding accordingly. </p>
<p>While Gray seemed momentarily confused by his sudden apathetic character, the preteen was also <i>used</i> to it and likely assumed that something was bothering his older brother; Owen, on the other hand -Zach couldn’t help but notice- kept giving him concerned glances every few minutes, nose twitching and obviously confused. The teen, though, just shrugged and looked back out the window -refusing to let himself get so attached to someone <i>he’d just met</i>. It wasn’t healthy, and it sure as Hell wasn’t going to be good for him in the long run, since he and Gray would be gone in fourteen days. </p>
<p>Appetite diminished considerably because of his pessimism, Zach just picked at his undeniably tasty fries -occasionally even eating a few- while wallowing in his borderline toxic thoughts as his brother and Owen continued chatting about… whatever they were chatting about. He had, admittedly, lost track of whatever topic they’d been on, and he just didn’t have it in him to actually tune back in at the moment. </p>
<p>Sighing, Zach pulled out his phone, clearing the call and message logs -which had, predictably, been flooded by Gina’s obsessive badgering, a lot of them getting progressively ruder and angrier- before texting Zara to make sure their dinner plans were still good. Because he <i>knew</i> how his Aunt could get, and he wouldn’t be surprised in the <i>least</i> if she ended up forgetting about them because she was frustrated or just exhausted from dealing with snobby investors all day. On top of her other responsibilities. </p>
<p>‘<i>We’re still good</i>😉’ Zara texted back almost instantly, making him smile a bit before he tucked his phone away again, noticing that Gray was looking at him again. “Just making sure Aunt Claire doesn’t forget about dinner,” He explained plainly, Gray nodding understandingly before he started telling Owen about a recently discovered dinosaur that was -apparently- nicknamed ‘Hellboy’, though it resembled a ‘frillier triceratops’. </p>
<p>Zach started tuning out again, trying to people watch via the window as Gray and Owen finished eating their respective meals, his own plate of fries left half-eaten and already cold, though he was getting hungry again -now that his thoughts had ventured away from pessimistic territory. Picking at his fries again, Zach found himself watching Owen from the corner of his eyes again -unable to help himself, apparently- mesmerized by the way the man talked with his whole body. He was nearly as animated as Gray was when he talked, a thought that was oddly endearing even as he tried to ignore it. </p>
<p>Thankfully, it wasn’t long before they were done and ready to go, with Owen grabbing the detritus of their meal to throw away while Zach followed a bouncing Gray out the door -keeping a hold of his wallaby-like little brother when the preteen insisted upon leaning over the railing of the lagoon to take a picture of the crystal clear water and the plant-life that could be seen beneath the surface. “Please don’t fall in,” Zach tells him, fingers clawed like a vice around his brother’s dork-pouch.</p>
<p>“I won’t!” Gray tells him, taking one last picture before getting down; the two of them turning to see Owen watching them, arms crossed as he waited for them with evident patience. </p>
<p>“Ready?” The older man asks, obviously amused when Gray nods excitedly and tries to race ahead -only to jerk to a halt instantly, Zach’s hand still like a vice on his fanny pack.</p>
<p>“There’s still ten minutes before the show starts, <i>chill</i>, dork.” Zach scolds lightly, tone flat and an eyebrow raised when Gray pouts at him. “You can survive walking like a human to the amphitheater, Gray.” He tells him, keeping his hold on his brother, not trusting him in the least to stay with them. “Shall we?” He drawls, glancing over at Owen from the corner of his eye.</p>
<p>The raptor trainer just nodded, amusement blatant, as he walked with them through the mid-show crowds. Gray, resigned to the sedate pace, turned his attention to chatting Owen’s ears off again, leaving Zach to his silent musings and trying to not watch the older man like some creep. He did <i>not</i> want to turn into someone like Gina -which, just thinking about, was enough to make him feel ill- but he was also having a hard time not following Owen’s every little movement. It was almost… magnetic, even though the thought made him feel a bit ridiculous. </p>
<p>Shaking the thoughts away, Zach sighed quietly as he followed his brother and Owen into the amphitheater -Gray racing for a front row seat the second he released his dork-pouch. Rolling his eyes -half fond and half exasperated- at his brother’s excitement, Zach trailed after him leisurely, trying to suppress an excited shiver when Owen brushed against him to sit on Gray’s other side. Sitting in the seat on Gray’s closest side -effectively boxing his little brother in- Zach pulled out his phone, mostly out of habit but also to check the time, and sneered when he saw the picture Gina had sent him; of her ‘pouting’ while holding a post-it note that said ‘Missing U’. </p>
<p>Rolling his eyes, the teen just deleted the message -and the sixty others from the Leech- before checking to see if he had any messages from anyone else. He was only half-listening to whatever Owen and Gray were talking about -something about the Park wanting to train the mosasaur, whom Owen referred to as Amphitrite, to do tricks and shows like the Orcas at SeaWorld. But that she grew ‘scarily fast’ and ‘scarily big’, and <i>no one</i> wanted to take the risk of something like what happened with Tilikum to happen with a giant whale-lizard. </p>
<p>Not that Zach could seriously <i>blame</i> them for not wanting to lose a limb or die or be eaten whole. Especially since he’s <i>pretty sure</i> his Aunt had told them that the mosasaur was nearly the size of a <i>fully-grown</i> Orca when she’d been born. Fuck that; no thank you. It sounded like a kamikaze mission from the beginning. </p>
<p>Ears twitching at a mechanical sound, Zach tucked his phone away again as he looked up and saw that a dead -no joke- white shark being zip-lined into the middle of the lagoon in front of the amphitheater. </p>
<p>Zach couldn’t help his incredulousness at the sight. “Aren’t sharks endangered….?” He asked, leaning forward so he could look at Owen around Gray.</p>
<p>“The sharks they feed her are found dead or are known maneaters,” Owen told him, locking eyes with the seventeen-year-old. “actually, most of the animals that are fed to the dinosaurs are either pests that are imported from the States, dead animals that need disposing off, or are farmed specifically for here. Masrani’s <i>very</i> conscientious about what animals are being used for food here,” He explained, smiling sunnily before turning back to the show.</p>
<p>Zach narrowed his eyes at the explanation, but didn’t see a reason why Owen would lie about something like <i>that</i>, so he just mentally shrugged it away and looked over at the lagoon -just in time to see an absolutely <i>massive</i> creature <i>breaching</i> out of the water to eat the great white shark <i>whole</i>. It was terrifying and amazing all at once, even when she fell back into the water -sending nearly a tsunami of water splashing in their direction. </p>
<p>Gasping in amazement, even as he covered his face, Zach couldn’t help his disbelieving laughter as Gray shook his shoulder, saying something that sounded like ‘<i>OH MY GOD! THAT WAS AWESOME!</i>’, though it was mostly drowned out by the sounds of everyone else cheering, even as the seats started to lower. </p>
<p>Owen -just as wet as everyone, and clearly just as pumped about it - grinned when he caught Zach’s eyes, clapping with the rest of the crowd when they saw the mosasaur snapping up the literal tail-end of the shark. The teen, in turn, didn’t bother fighting back an answering grin, trying to ignore his heart hammering in his chest even as his cheeks flushed deeply. He vaguely heard Gray say something about ‘eighty teeth’, but he couldn’t hear shit over the cacophony of people and the loudness of his heartbeat. </p>
<p>Glancing away for a moment, biting his bottom lip in contemplation, Zach risked a glance back over at Owen through his long lashes -the corners of his lips cocking up when he saw Owen’s hazel-green eyes were still watching him, dropping down for barely a second to give Gray a response to whatever the preteen had said before he looked back up to send a playful wink in Zach’s direction. </p>
<p>Still flushed, and nearly vibrating with excitement, the teen leaned down so that his lips were nearly touching Gray’s ear -his eyes never leaving Owen’s. “We still have about an hour and fifteen minutes until dinner, what say we go get some clean clothes on and check out the giftshop or something?” He suggested, licking his lips absently -nearly wet, in a <i>different</i> way, when he saw Owen’s eyes darken and follow the small motion.</p>
<p>It was nice to have a definite confirmation that the attraction wasn’t one-sided.</p>
<p>“Sure!” Gray chirped, nearly headbutting Zach in his haste to hop up and lead the way back to the hotel. “Come on!” The boy told them, damn near like a ferret on a sugar high as Owen and Zach followed him at a <i>normal</i> pace.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first time posting a story anywhere. Please keep any comments and criticisms polite</p></blockquote><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
  <ul>
    <li>
        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24970645">I Love a Rainy Night</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdog23/pseuds/wolfdog23">wolfdog23</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
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